Make it a goal to take some time out to spend quality time with your family members. It doesn’t have to consume a great deal of time but will surely leave a positive impact on the lives of your children. These children are our future, the growing citizens of society.

One day, they will become parents, too, so impart in them values which will perpetuate goodness to generations to come. It will be worth the effort, In sha Allah.﻿

In a fast-paced society, routines tend to become rote and mechanical. Day in day out, we commit to the regular tasks of the week: driving to and from work, taking kids to and from school, and fitting in as many extracurricular activities as possible – all without much thought and emotions. As the pace picks

“In my first Ramadan, I discovered new limits in me as a human being. I will never ever forget the feeling of water going down my throat after 17 hours of fasting!”

This was one of many amazing reflections of a dear sister who experienced her first Ramadan two years ago. These words gave me a completely new understanding of Ramadan. It is an opportunity to discover your hidden limits and overcome them. If you ask any non-Muslim about abstaining from eating and drinking during the long hours of July while still being productive, his or her answer will be: impossible! This is what Ramadan is about: challenging the impossible. If you revisit your Ramadan, I am sure you will find a couple of things that you succeeded in doing even though you never thought you could do them before. That is why you should keep your Ramadan programme as a reference of your hidden potential. Every time you miss qiyam or reading the Qur’an because you feel tired, or stop doing dhikr because you are thinking about everyday problems, or even lose hope in changing the world around you, return to the records you set in Ramadan and get a dose of “yes I can Insha Allah!” energy.

We procrastinate with excuses as to why we cannot regularly recite and ponder over the Qur’an. You might “lack time” – but you are reading this which means you have time to surf the net! Cut out idle activities :)

We complete the month of Ramadan with remarkable levels of spirituality and positive energy. Shaytan, who has been held for the past 30 days, will intensify his efforts to take this spirituality away as soon as possible. The conflict between our ego, our spirituality and shaytan is not a battle that we can win easily. Making dua is essential to guarantee Allah’s (Glorified and Exalted is He) support throughout our daily struggles. One of the most beautiful Prophetic duas for holding on to our spirituality and productivity is the following: “O Controller of the hearts make my heart steadfast in Your religion.”